Rethinking U.S. Aid to Middle East

By Sarah Margon
Posted on May 5, 2011, 9:00 am

Protesters, particularly young people, continue to demand political reform across the Middle East and North Africa. As they press for their rights and dignity, the United States needs to step up and support calls for change. But the 11th hour deal that Democrats and Republicans recently cut to avoid a government shutdown may squander this opportunity.

That bipartisan agreement clipped more than $8 billion from the international affairs budget as Washington tries to respond to the rapidly changing events throughout this strategic region – even though this account actually totals less than 1 percent of all federal spending.